Grey Skies and Blue Eyes
by Tijuana Pirate
Summary: Yuffie and Vincent are left alone together when AVALANCHE stops over to buy supplies in Kalm. Their time alone leads to some unexpected consequences. Light humour, light angst.


Author's notes: I actually wrote this story as I was driving to Toronto. It turned out a little bit differently than I had expected to but, then again, I did write it rather impulsively. I hope that I captured Yuffie and Vincent's characters all right in this. This is, after all, only the second time I've tried to write a story concerning both of them. Feedback is always appreciated. ^_^  
  
~Grey Skies and Blue Eyes~  
  
Yuffie sat at the window, watching the rain make long dreary streaks across the glass. It was a grey, dull day outside. It made her sick.  
"Gods! I am *so* bored!" Yuffie exclaimed suddenly for what had to be the seventh time in five minutes. She looked over at her only companion trying to gauge his reaction only to realize that he had none. She resisted her urge to stick out her tongue. Instead, Yuffie watched him from the corner of her eye.  
Vincent was sitting in a chair directly across the room from Yuffie's spot at the window. His long black hair was falling forward obscuring most of his face. He had an open book in his lap and was seemingly absorbed in his reading. The blood red of his cloak jarred painfully with the simple inn setting. Vincent did not seem like the type to be lounging easily in out-of-date furniture surrounded by nauseating floral print wallpaper and cheap lobby art. In fact, as far as Yuffie was concerned, Vincent didn't fit in any common setting.  
"When are they gonna be back?" Yuffie asked for what was probably the third time in two minutes.  
"I do not know," Vincent answered flatly without looking up. Yuffie was surprised; he had ignored her past two queries. Yuffie eyed him askance.  
"What're you reading?" she asked curiously.  
"It would not interest you," Vincent said simply. Again, Yuffie felt the overwhelming urge to stick her tongue out at him.  
"You're no fun," she pouted. Vincent ignored her.  
Yuffie turned back to her window trying in vain to find something to amuse herself. Unfortunately, the main square in Kalm on a rainy day held absolutely nothing of interest for the young ninja. Eventually, she turned away in disgust.  
"Gods, why didn't I go with them?" she muttered to herself.  
"Because you thought that buying supplies was boring. Also, you did not wish to get wet."  
Yuffie looked over at Vincent in surprise. Was he making fun of her? Vincent gave no sign that he noticed her scrutiny though. His attention seemed utterly focused on his book.  
"What *are* you reading?" Yuffie asked again out of sheer curiosity and boredom.  
"A volume describing the history of Kalm and its surrounding areas."  
Yuffie made a disgusted noise to illustrate what she thought of his particular reading choice. Vincent studiously ignored her.  
"Do you read a lot?" Yuffie asked impulsively, not because she really cared about the answer but because she was desperate.  
"When I can," he said simply.  
"So, you must know lots of stuff."  
"Enough."  
"Do you know anything about Wutai?"  
Finally, Vincent looked up.  
"Yuffie, what is the purpose of this inquisition?"  
She shrugged.  
"I'm bored."  
"It is not my job to entertain you Yuffie."  
She shrugged again.  
"Humour me." When it become apparent that Vincent wasn't going to respond, Yuffie added, "If I'm listening, I'm not talking."  
"You rarely listen, Yuffie," Vincent retorted. She snorted.  
"I can try."  
Vincent looked at Yuffie for a moment, those incredible red eyes taking her in. Suddenly, she felt every one of the years that separated them. Why was she bothering him? She half-expected him to simply leave the room but instead he surprised her.  
"I likely know much less of Wutai than you do Yuffie. Any information I have will no doubt be irrelevant."  
"Please?" Yuffie looked at Vincent with her very best 'I'm just an innocent little girl; how could you not give me what I want?' expression and Vincent sighed. He closed his book.  
"Very well."  
Yuffie wasn't completely able to mask her happiness at her victory and Vincent gave her an odd look. She felt her cheeks start to burn and she spoke to distract herself from her growing embarrassment.  
"So?" she asked Vincent. He thought for a moment.  
"Wutai is the western-most continent on our planet. It is sparsely populated mostly due to the large mountain ranges that cover the majority of its landscape."  
Yuffie made a dissatisfied noise.  
"Everybody knows that."  
Vincent cast her an annoyed glance.  
"What would you like to know?"  
Yuffie pondered the question.  
"Have you ever been there?" Vincent arched an eyebrow at her question. "I mean, besides the time we all went there," Yuffie added in a rush.  
"You mean the time that you stole all of our material and then were kidnapped by Don Corneo and were hung upside down from your ankles at the top of Da-Chao?"  
Oh yes, he was definitely making fun of her.  
"Yeah, that time," Yuffie said, trying to cover her embarrassment and failing miserably. For a moment, Yuffie could've sworn that she'd seen the tinniest of smiles touching the corners of Vincent's mouth but it seemed to disappear the instant she noticed it.  
"I have visited Wutai three times, once with our group and twice before."  
"When?" Yuffie asked, intrigued. Vincent answered somewhat reluctantly.  
"Once. . . I was sent on a mission as a Turk. The other. . ."  
Yuffie leaned forward expectantly.  
"The other. . . was when I visited Wutai with my mother as a young boy."  
Yuffie's eyes widened at the admission. She couldn't remember Vincent ever speaking about his family or his childhood before.  
"What was she like?"  
"My mother?" Vincent asked. Yuffie nodded. He paused for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts. Yuffie had the feeling that he had not spoken of her in a long time.  
"She had. . . long black hair."  
"Like yours?"  
Vincent nodded.  
"Like mine only. . . not as thick. She had dark blue eyes. She was not very tall but. . . she had a kind face."  
When Vincent was speaking in that hushed, subdued voice of his, Yuffie could almost picture the woman he was describing. She could imagine that woman smiling faintly at her with a small boy tucked close to her. The boy fascinated her. He was like and unlike the man she knew. A few stray black strands of hair snuck up to intrude on his face. Two eyes, so much younger looking, stared out at her. Something wasn't right with her picture though.  
"Vincent. . . what colour were your eyes before?"  
The moment the question passed her lips, Yuffie regretted it. She didn't need to see Vincent recoil to understand that her question had stung him. Instantly, she tried to take it back.  
"Vincent, I'm sorry. Gods, I-"  
Vincent's cold glare silenced her immediately. His bright scarlet eyes pierced her almost as much as his words did.  
"They were blue," he said in a dead voice. "Like my mother's."  
He stood then in one fluid motion and in a blur of black and crimson left Yuffie alone in the room. For a moment, she sat there utterly stunned. Then, her pained sigh echoed hollowly throughout the room. The soft tap of the rain on the window seemed to emphasize the emptiness that had suddenly pervaded her surroundings. Slowly, she turned to watch the rain fall on the too-empty village, her eyes blank and starring. It was not the quiet town that she was watching though. In her mind, she was still picturing that small boy, his black hair tumbling down, with a set of blue eyes watching her questioningly.  
"Hojo, you bastard," she swore under her breath and she leaned her head forward to rest against the cool glass of the window. Above the town, the rain continued to fall, uncaring. 


End file.
